Countdown to Fun: Part 2 – Box #1

Hello, readers! Welcome to week 2 of my 8-part series called Countdown to Fun. I was so excited this week to begin the fun of discovering the contents of the Countdown to Fun kit! I read back through the materials provided and decided that since there are 10 “scavenger hunt” clues, I will use 1-2 clues every week to send my son (and my husband) on their mission to find the box for that week. The clues are written so that even a 4-year-old (with help) can understand the concept of where to look. I have not previewed the box contents (and I avoided reading about the kit online), so I am discovering right along with you!

I picked up a hat at our local discount store (it was not included in the kit) to use as a lure. While Chad took Gibbs for a haircut, I hid the box in our shoe closet and a clue in the freezer. Then I put the hat, with clue #1 underneath, in the hallway where it would be found the moment my family walked in the door.

The moment he walked in, Gibbs saw the hat. He picked up the note under it, and Chad read it with him – the clue mentioned going to the place where ice cream is kept. G dashed off to the kitchen, yanked open the freezer and held up a container of ice cream – “Is THIS my surprise!?” We directed him to look for the clue, which he quickly found. After reading the clue (this time about shoes) it was back to the front hallway, where he found the mystery box hidden among our shoes – after looking right at it and being confused that he wasn’t finding another clue card!

We opened the box together and found a Mickey Mouse glove oven mitt, a set of 3 cookie cutters (Mickey Mouse head, Mickey Mouse glove, and a star). Also included was a recipe card for sugar cookies. Stuck to the top of a box was a card with a toll-free phone number and an access code. We followed the instructions and called the number, and Mickey Mouse himself answered! Mickey knew we had found box number one and that we are going to be in Walt Disney World soon. He told us to have fun making the cookies together. I was excited to have this fun activity to do with my child.

Full disclosure: my cooking “skills” are rather legendary – and not in a good way. I don’t bake…ever. But I was determined that Gibbs and I were going to do this fun project together, and he was bounce-off-the-walls excited, so I jumped in with both feet. We mixed up the dry ingredients before discovering that we were out of butter and remembering that our mixer broke months ago (I told you, I never bake!). So, off to the grocery store we go. At Gibbs’ request, we took a detour to buy “sparkly” sprinkles to add pixie dust to our finished cookies. A few minutes later, we were back home and ready to go again!

Until I discovered we had no eggs. Not to be deterred, Gibbs and I walked around the corner to my mom’s house to get a couple of eggs. Somehow, grandma always saves the day – to say nothing of the Hitchhiking Ghost costume she’s making for Gibbs! Back home, back to the cookies.

We didn’t have powdered sugar or vanilla extract. I think my head actually exploded (and it was my own fault – I’m told that checking the recipe and ingredients BEFORE beginning to bake is the recommended process). Husband to the rescue this time – he brought them home from his errands.

At long last, we had all the pieces and got the cookies rolled out, cut, and baked. The frosting was relatively easy, although as a non-baker I was a bit confused by what “frothy” egg whites meant (grandma to the rescue again). We frosted and sprinkled the cookies and they were FINALLY ready to enjoy!

The stresses of a project I’m not particularly good at aside, Gibbs and I had a good time and we enjoyed the process and spending the morning together. The cookies were soft and tasty and the recipe made almost 4 dozen, so we had plenty to share. I can definitely see us making these again in the future.

I can’t wait to see what the rest of the boxes have in store, although I must admit I hope the future items are aligned more closely with my skill set. We have 5 more Countdown to Fun boxes to discover, so I hope you will join us again next week as I continue the series!

Want to follow along on our trip to Walt Disney World? Follow me at @amillertx on Instagram and look for the hashtag #MillerWDWMagic2017. We will be there September 9-16, so if you spot us be sure to say hello!